1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for assembling a semiconductor device socket, including a process for arranging a plurality of contact terminals on a supporting plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor integrated circuit mounted to an electronic equipment or others is subjected to various tests prior to being mounted to remove a latent defect thereof. Of these various tests, a burn-in test carried out under a high temperature condition for a predetermined time is effective for removing the integrated circuit of infant mortality failures.
A test jig used for this burn-in test is generally called as an IC socket, and, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.2000-113952, constituted by a object under test accommodating member (a socket body) arranged on a printed wiring board (a printed board) and having an accommodating portion in which a BGA (ball grid array) type semiconductor element is mounted as a object under test, a plurality of contact terminals (contact pins) arranged beneath the accommodation section of the object under test accommodating member, for the electric connection of the semiconductor element with the printed circuit board, a cover member covering an upper portion of the object under test accommodating member, having a pressing section brought into contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor element to press terminals of the semiconductor element to contact points of the plurality of contact terminals at a predetermined pressure, and a hook member (a latch member) supported by the cover member in rotatable manner and engaged with the object under test accommodating member to fix the cover member with the object under test accommodating member.
The printed wiring board has an input/output section supplied with a predetermined test voltage and transmitting an abnormal signal indicating a short-circuit or others generated from the object under test. Each of the plurality of contact terminals includes a contact point brought into contact with an electrode of the semiconductor element, a stationary terminal section soldered to an electro-conductive layer of the printed circuit board, and a connecting section for connecting the contact point to the stationary terminal section.
A series of processes for assembling such an IC socket includes, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-113952, a process for press-fitting the stationary terminal section of the respective contact terminal into a relatively small circular hole formed in the bottom of the accommodating portion of the object under test accommodating member. The stationary terminal section is supported by being press-fitted into the relatively small hole formed in the bottom of the accommodating portion of the object under test accommodating member.
In the press-fitting process, it is required that the stationary terminal sections of the contact terminals are press-fit into the circular holes so that the orientation of the contact points of the contact terminals becomes uniform approximately in the same direction for the purpose of assuring the electric connection.
However, since the stationary terminal section is relatively thin, the stationary terminal sections of several contact terminals in the plurality of contact terminals may rotate about a center line of the circular hole or fall down due to a pressing force during the press-fitting process. In such a case, the rotational position of the stationary terminal section fitted into the hole is difficult to be adjusted, it is necessary to once pull out the already press-fit stationary terminal section from the hole and press-fit the same again. Therefore, the efficiency of the assembly operation becomes worse.